On both the way, he is aware of the fact that he is destined to suffer. Not knowing a solid answer, he makes a coward of himself. Yes, definitely, because the power of beauty is more likely to change a good girl into a whore than the power of purity is likely to change a beautiful girl into a virgin. In William Shakespeares play Hamlet, the titular character, Hamlet says this soliloquy. Nor do we find him forward to be sounded. It hath made me mad. It is considered the earliest version of the play. In the play, Hamlet is going through a tough phase. Firstly, he is consciously protestant in his thoughts. Prince Hamlet struggles over whether or not he should kill his uncle, whom he suspects has murdered his father, the former king. Quick, lets hide, my lord. William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1 But, if you hold it fit, after the play Let his queen mother all alone entreat him To show his grief. Charlie Chaplin recites this monologue in the comedy film A King in New York (1957). He badly wants to end the troubles but he thinks by choosing the safest path of embracing death, he can also finish his mental sufferings. That patient merit of th' unworthy takes, If she cant find the source of his madness, send him to England or confine him wherever you think best. Scholars believe that Shakespeare wrote this play and later revised it. Before reading this soliloquy, readers have to go through the plots that happened in the play. If thou dost marry, Ill give thee this plague for thy dowry. In the following lines, he remarks about how he suffers for inaction. To sleep, perchance to dreamay, theres the rub, For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause. Niggard of question, but of our demandsMost free in his reply. The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, The insolence of office, and the spurns. And hes not willing to be questioned. That patient merit of th'unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1699 titles we cover. While death is something that has an embalming effect on his mind. Th'oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of dispriz'd love, the law's delay, The insolence of office, and the spurns That patient merit of th'unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin? Must give us pause: there's the respect That makes calamity of so long life; For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despis'd love, the law's delay, The insolence of office and the spurns That patient merit of the unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make Who would fardels bear. A person has to bear whatever it sends and react accordingly. Besides, it is written in iambic pentameter with a few metrical variations. Most of us first came across this word in Hamlet's soliloquy, "Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely", and were puzzled by it, as it's hardly a word in common use. From these lines, it becomes clear what questions are troubling the tragic hero, Hamlet. is famous for its open-ended meaning that not only encompasses the thoughts raging inside Hamlets mind but also features the theme of existential crisis. Writeln ("When we have shuffled off this mortal coil," + "Must give us pause: there's the respect" + "That makes calamity of so long life;"); builder. For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, The insolence of office, . The unmatched beauty he had in the full bloom of his youth has been destroyed by madness. There, my lord. Must give us pausethere's the respect That makes calamity of so long life. It has made me angry. The insults of proud men, pangs of unrequited love, delay in judgment, disrespectful behavior of those in power, and last but not least the mistreatment that a patient merit receives from the unworthy pain him deeply. You shouldnt have believed me. God. With all my heart, Im glad to hear of his interest. How smart a lash that speech doth give my conscience! He is not sure whether life after death is that smooth as he thinks. Because the kinds of dreams that might come in that sleep of deathafter you have left behind your mortal bodyare something to make you anxious. From his thought process, it becomes clear. The quote, To be, or not to be is the most widely known line and overall Hamlets soliloquy has been referenced in several works of theatre, literature, and music. Let her be round with him, And Ill be placed, so please you, in the ear Of all their conference. We heard it all. His monologue, To be, or not to be, that is the question expounds the ideas of relativism, existentialism, and skepticism. Why would you want to give birth to sinners? C. purposeful repetition. That if you be honest and fair, your honesty should admit no discourse to your beauty. Hamlet's greatest soliloquy is the source of more than a dozen everyday (or everymonth . Such thoughts confuse the speaker more. Farewell. He is mistreated in all spheres, be it on a personal level such as love, or in public affairs. Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, The insolence of office, and the spurns That patient merit of the unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin? Thats the consideration that makes us suffer the calamities of life for so long. He wishes that she may remember him in her prayers. Who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, No, his sadness is like a bird sitting on an egg. And for your part, Ophelia, I do wish That your good beauties be the happy cause Of Hamlets wildness. Who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, The insolence of office and the spurns That patient merit of the unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin? The situations mentioned here have occurred in others lives too. Madam, it so fell out, that certain players. If she find him not, To England send him or confine him where Your wisdom best shall think. In the play, Hamlet the tragic hero expresses this soliloquy to the audience in Act 3, Scene 1. Accessed 4 March 2023. For who would bear the whips and scorns of time. His feelings dont move in that direction. To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer. And yet he's talking about proud man's contumely? To be, or not be is an intellectual query that a princely mind is asking the readers. The last few lines of the soliloquy present how Hamlet stops his musings when he discovers his beloved Ophelia is coming that way. who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, Just before committing suicide or yielding to death wholeheartedly, such thoughts appear in a persons mind. Readers can find a use of synecdoche in the line, That flesh is heir to. They can find an anadiplosis in the lines, To die, to sleep;/ To sleep, perchance to dream. Besides, a circumlocution or hyperbaton can be found in this line, When we have shuffled off this mortal coil.. Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them. The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despis'd love, the law's delay, The insolence of office, and the spurns That patient merit of the unworthy takes, When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin? To think about life in this way makes the speakers mind wearier than before. Lets see what Hamlet is saying to the audience. Is sicklied oer with the pale cast of thought, And enterprises of great pitch and moment. But that the dread of something after death, The undiscovered country from whose bourn, And makes us rather bear those ills we have. Off: Plot No. Ophelia, walk you here. I proclaim: we will have no more marriages. The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, The insolence of office and the spurns That patient merit of the unworthy takes, Wheres your father? B. rhetorical question. Get yourself to to a convent. Not only that, Hamlet is quite depressed by the wrongs inflicted upon the innocents by the haughty kings. Digging deeper into the soliloquy reveals a variety of concepts and meanings that apply to all human beings. - J. M. Kelly: Roman Litigation. He had a courtiers persuasiveness, a soldiers courage, a scholars wisdom. The meaning of CONTUMELY is harsh language or treatment arising from haughtiness and contempt; also : an instance of such language or treatment. After rereading the line, it can be found that there is a repetition of the r sound. But wait, here is the beautiful Ophelia! Go to a convent. Thus conscience does make cowards of us all, And thus the native hue of resolution Is sicklied oer with the pale cast of thought, And enterprises of great pitch and moment With this regard their currents turn awry, And lose the name of action. THE OPPRESSOR'S WRONG, THE PROUD MAN'S CONTUMELY? While William Shakespeare's reputation is based primarily on his plays, he became famous first as a poet. Who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something . Besides, Ophelia is not accepting his love due to the pressure from her family. To be, or not be is an intellectual query that a princely mind is asking the readers. For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, Aesop is encased in a block of ice and pressing a button: op-press (oppressor). That is the question, Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer. Get yourself to a convent, now. Nor what he spake, though it lacked form a little, Was not like madness. My honorable lord, you know very well that you did. His mental struggle to end the pangs of his life gets featured in this soliloquy. At that time, Hamlet is seen walking alone in the hall asking whether to be or not to be.. He admits he feels somewhat crazy, but wont talk about the cause. Those situations not only make his mind bruised but also make him vulnerable to the upcoming arrows. I am the most miserable of all the women who once enjoyed hearing his sweet words. from Macbeth This famous soliloquy of Macbeth describes how he is taken over by guilt and insanity. And I think that whatever hatches is going to be dangerous. To dieto sleep, The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks, That flesh is heir to: tis a consummation. Gentlemen, try to nurture this interest of his, and keep him focused on these amusements. The last section of the soliloquy, To be, or not to be begins with an epigrammatic idea. There's the respect . We heard it all. . . The glass of fashion and the mould of form. His affections do not that way tend. From the following lines, Hamlet makes clear why he cannot proceed further and die. Be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny. And I know all about you women and your make-up. In the first line, fardels mean the burdens of life. To sleep, perhaps to dreamyes, but theres theres the catch. There are thousands of natural shocks that the human body is destined to suffer. Thats true, and he asked me to beg both of you, your Majesties, to come and watch. quote, Hamlets subconscious mind reminds him about his sufferings. In Shakespeares tragedy Hamlet, the central figure asks this question to himself. To be, or not to be; that is the question; Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them. They are at the court now, and I think theyve been told to perform for him tonight. She should be blunt with him. It shall be so.Madness in great ones must not unwatched go. In that place, the currents of action get misdirected and lose the name of action. That if you be honest and fair, your honesty should, Could beauty, my lord, have better commerce than with, Ay, truly, for the power of beauty will sooner, transform honesty from what it is to a bawd than the. The last two lines are often excluded from the soliloquy as those lines contain the mental, The last syllable of the line contains an, There is another metaphor in the phrase, sea of troubles. In the next two lines, Shakespeare uses, After this line, the speaker presents a series of causes that lead to his suffering. With this regard their currents turn awry. But, when he thinks about the dreams he is going to see in his eternal sleep, he becomes aware of the reality. The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely, The pangs of despised love, the law's delay, The insolence of office and the spurns That patient merit of the unworthy takes," (67-73) In regard to these lines, the mindset of Hamlet changes again because of his approach to appreciating life. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Our work is created by a team of talented poetry experts, to provide an in-depth look into poetry, like no other. Weve sent for Hamlet as a way for him to meet with Ophelia, seemingly by chance. At one point, he gives the hint that death seems easier than bearing lifes ills. I, Get thee to a nunnery. B. This antithetical idea reveals Hamlet is not sure whether he wants to live or die. Again, Shakespeare uses the repetition of the phrase, To die, to sleep. It is the second instance where Hamlet uses these words. Besides, the repetition of the phrase, to be makes this line easy to remember. He had a courtiers persuasiveness, a soldiers courage, a scholars wisdom. who would these fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, Weve sent for Hamlet as a way for him to meet with Ophelia, seemingly by chance. Please take them back. It seems easier than said. Th' oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely.. That's not to say the word has no use in modern English. In such a critical situation, Hamlet feels extremely lonely as there are no other persons to console him. Thats the consideration that makes us suffer the calamities of life for so long. If readers strictly adhere to the plot, they can decode this line differently. LineBreak); builder. Who would bear his burdens, and grunt and sweat through a tiring life, if they werent frightened of what might happen after deaththat undiscovered country from which no visitor returns, which we wonder about and which makes us prefer the troubles we know rather than fly off to face the ones we dont? That patient merit of th unworthy takes. According to him, none can bear the whips and scorns of time. Must give us pause. He is asking just a simple question. He has gone through all such pangs while he can end his life with a bare bodkin. Bodkin is an, The first two lines of this section refer to the fact that none choose to grunt and sweat through the exhausting life. My honored lord, you know right well you did, And with them, words of so sweet breath composed As made the things more rich. the proud man's contumely Contumely means scorn. The pangs of despised love, the laws delay. On This Page . A living being cannot know what happens there. Get thee to a nunnery. The first line of the speech, To be, or not to be, that is the question contains two literary devices. It should be taken in a moment. Im as good as the next man, and yet I could accuse myself of such horrible crimes that it wouldve been better if my mother had never given birth to me. The syntax of the soliloquy is structured in a way that gives it an almost . It also contains a metaphor. To be, or not be means Hamlets mind is torn between two things, being and not being. Being means life and action. If you marry, Ill give you this curse as your wedding presenteven if you are as clean as ice, as pure as snow, youll still get a bad reputation. To be, or not to be by William Shakespeare describes how Hamlet is torn between life and death. When does a person think like that? Undoubtedly, it is the thoughts of death. Yes, definitely, because the power of beauty is more likely to change a good girl into a whore than the power of purity is likely to change a beautiful girl into a virgin. Dont believe any of us. Of these we told him, And there did seem in him a kind of joy To hear of it. Who would fardels bear, To grunt and sweat under a weary life, But that the dread of something after death, Being engrossed with such thoughts, he utters this soliloquy, To be, or not to be.. First Coast High School. The lady doth protest too much, methinks is a famous quote used in Shakespeares Hamlet. If readers closely analyze the lines, it will be clear that Hamlet uses this phrase to mark a transition in his thoughts. Of those who are married alreadyall but one personwill live on as couples. To sleep, perhaps to dreamyes, but theres theres the catch. May he get locked in, so he can play the fool in his own home only. I used to love you. In Act 3, Scene 1, also known as the nunnery scene, of the, Before reading this soliloquy, readers have to go through the. Your Majesty, if you agree, lets go hide. How now, Ophelia? He uses a rhetorical question, With a bare bodkin? at the end to heighten this dramatic effect. At this point of the whole soliloquy, it becomes crystal clear that Hamlet is not ready to embrace death easily. As the plots reflect, Hamlet is facing an existential crisis after coming across the harsh reality of his fathers death and his mothers subsequent marriage with his uncle, Claudius, the murderer of King Hamlet. To die, to sleepbecause thats all dying isand by a sleep I mean an end to all the heartache and the thousand injuries that we are vulnerable tothats an end to be wished for! I am very proud, revengeful, ambitious, with more offences at my beck than I have thoughts to put them in,imagination to give them shape, or time to act them in. The unmatched beauty he had in the full bloom of his youth has been destroyed by madness. For example, political columnist Mona Charen expressed the opinion that . He asks whether a noble mind like him has to suffer the, The speaker talks about the events happening in his life for his. If she cant find the source of his madness, send him to England or confine him wherever you think best. In the earliest version of the play, this monologue is 35 lines long. It means that when Hamlet thinks about death, his natural boldness fades away and he becomes a coward.